The Dark Descent

by William Oday

  “Oww!” he yelled as he cradled his head. His body jerked as he kicked out a panel blocking our escape. He kicked again and the metal clanged but held fast.

  I crawled over the top of him, smothering his protests with my full weight as I went.

  I reared back one balled fist and slammed it into the metal.

  Nothing.

  Well, pain. Lots of that. The top knuckle of my middle finger felt like it had broken in two.

  But the panel didn’t budge.

  There had to be a way to open it from this side, but the ceiling of smoke concealed whatever clasps or screws or locks held it in place. The opaque fog was coming down fast. We wouldn’t last much longer.

  I scooted forward. Forearm against the warm metal.

  One more try.

  I reared back and lunged forward, digging my boots into the rock to add force. I slammed my elbow and forearm into the panel.

  It exploded away and bounced across the floor a few feet below.

  I wriggled inside, collapsing in a heap. Then spinning around and reaching back inside to drag Crypto out.

  A computer room. Similar but much smaller than the one we’d left.

  Smoke poured out of the access hatch and rose to the ceiling above. The leading edge drifted across as the rising column behind drove it on.

  On toward the fire alarm in the center of the ceiling.

  Rolling toward it in continuous curling waves.

  I grabbed the bent panel and jumped up, fanning the air to blow it away.

  It worked.

  Until I made the mistake of taking a deep breath and doubled over with a wracking cough that felt like it was turning my ribs into splintered toothpicks.

  I cradled my middle until the spell passed.

  And by then it was too late.

  I glanced up as the leading edge of the smoke hugging the ceiling rolled across the sensor.

  An ear-splitting shrill alarm sounded.

  52

  The alarm in this room was quickly joined by a cacophony of distant alarms, all shrieking at maximum volume. The entire level must’ve gone off.

  Someone would know that it was this detector that set off the general alarm. And that someone would send someone else to investigate. And that someone would more than likely arrive armed and expecting trouble.

  Crypto bent over, clutching his knees and hacking out dark globs of slime.

  I managed to stifle the coughing enough to take a few shallow breaths. The air singed the insides of my nose and throat before settling in my scorched lungs.

  And the beating.

  The fast and furious slamming of my heart against my ribcage, like a frenzied beast fighting to get free.

  The whooshing rush in my ears. Deafening and silent at once.

  The sound of stomping boots coming from beyond the closed door.

  Getting louder.

  I reached for the pistol tucked into my pants at my lower back.

  Nothing.

  I realized with horror that I couldn’t feel its pressure anywhere. It must’ve fallen out somewhere along the climb. I bit my lip in disgust. I should’ve secured it better.

  Should’ve.

  But didn’t.

  Dammit.

  The stomping boots. More than one soldier. How many more?

  I looked around the small room. Servers stacked to the ceiling. All bolted down to metal shelving.

  My eyes landed on the bent panel lying on the floor. I grabbed it as the door burst open and a voice yelled.

  “Don’t move!”

  A young voice. Commanding but with a flavor of fear in it. That could go either way. The slightest shifting of my weight could prompt a panicked shot that would punch a hole in my back. A slug tearing through my lungs or heart. Then again, a quick, decisive move might make him freeze up.

  Just an instant, but that would be enough.

  I spun around and launched the panel at him.

  A spinning, slicing blunted blade.

  The torque of the turn, the twisting power of my torso multiplied the lethal force.

  The edge of the panel slammed into his throat before he could react.

  A sickening crunching sound as he dropped his rifle and doubled over, holding his throat as blood spilled out of his mouth.

  With the lead soldier out of the way, the one behind whipped her rifle toward me, but she was too late.

  I lunged forward, twisting now in the opposite direction, bringing my rear hand forward with terrible speed, force, and precision.

  My balled fist hit her in the throat.

  To her credit, she got off a shot.

  But I was already inside the length of the rifle barrel and wrenched it out of her hands. The bones in her wrist snapped before her grip gave way.

  Holding her throat, she stumbled back but I grabbed her by the collar, dragged her inside and shoved her to the ground.

  She fell over her fallen friend.

  He wouldn’t make it. His trachea crushed and filled with blood.

  I eased the door closed to a sliver as a squad of soldiers double-timed it down the hall.

  Their voices floated in as they passed.

  “What the hell is going on?” one asked.

  “We’re supposed to augment the existing security detail. That’s all I know.”

  Another added, “Is this just another drill?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Their voices faded as they continued down the hall.

  Augment the existing security detail?

  Had Curtis or Skain correctly guessed that the fire alarms were part of a rescue mission for Martinez? Had they ordered additional Grays to keep her secure?

  It seemed feasible. Even likely.

  I glanced down at the dying soldier.

  He was younger and leaner than me, but about the same height. Definitely a better match than the guy Martinez had knocked out.

  The woman pushed up against the wall and tried to rise. She was a real fighter. If it had been her first through the door, I’d probably be the one bleeding out on the floor.

  But a feeling of respect didn’t change my reason for being here. I whipped the butt of the rifle around and caught her on the chin.

  Her head snapped to the side and she crumpled to the floor.

  Lights out like the flip of a switch. The body’s response to a sharp and overwhelming input to the nervous system.

  Crypto stared at me with appreciation. He coughed a few times and wiped his arm across his mouth. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a bad ass?”

  He was still a problem. Not due to the flattery. Due to his size. His attention-grabbing stature would have Grays on us like moths to a flame.

  Only we would be the ones getting burned.

  What then?

  I was the wrong gender to try to pull off a pregnancy, and besides, I doubted he would’ve gone for it anyway. The only reason he did earlier was because it was an excuse to get close to Martinez without earning a broken nose for his trouble.

  I yanked a loop of zip-tie cord from the woman’s belt and tossed it at Crypto. “Put those on. You’re a prisoner.”

  He looked at me like I was crazy.

  Considering my mental and physical condition, he was probably right.

  “I’ll act like I’m bringing you in,” I said. “There’s no other way.”

  A few minutes later, I wore a dead man’s uniform and my clothes had the female soldier tied up tight. They were both tucked into a corner behind a shelving unit. Someone would have to come in and look around to find them.

  Hopefully, that didn’t happen before we got away with Martinez.

  “Ready?” I asked Crypto.

  He stood with his head slumped, still coughing more than not. The smaller volume of his lungs must’ve been hit harder than mine. Or maybe the pills raging through my veins diminished the impact. “Ready to get ourselves killed, you mean?”

  “That’s a distinct possibility.”
<
br />   “Wonderful.”

  With one hand holding the rifle and the other guiding Crypto in front, we stepped out into the hallway.

  53

  We headed down the hallway in the direction the soldiers from earlier had gone. At regular intervals, fire alarms wailed and red lights flashed.

  Soldiers in ones and twos hurried by but paid us no attention. They moved with urgent purpose.

  Not like us.

  We didn’t fit the flow. We weren’t moving like the rest. We were looking for where to go, while they already knew.

  Before long, we came to an intersection.

  I paused to examine each of the three halls and the attached signs.

  Sectors 3, 4 and 5.

  Meaningless in my current state. Presumably perfectly helpful if I’d been able to remember more. I had once called this level home. Maybe I had once bunked somewhere nearby.

  “Where to?” Crypto muttered.

  I had to choose, and fast. Standing around like this would bring suspicion in no time.

  “Hey! You there!”

  I turned toward the hallway to the right as an overweight soldier strode toward us. His sunken chest puffed out as much as he was able.

  I recognized him.

  The pencil pusher at the security checkpoint by the brig.

  He skidded to a stop several feet away and snapped a smart salute. “I’m sorry, Captain! I didn’t realize it was you.” His eyes drifted to the shoulder boards on my borrowed uniform. To the single chevron that indicated the rank of Private First Class. They narrowed with suspicion.

  “Undercover work, Sergeant,” I said. “We finally got him.”

  “Him?”

  “Crypto,” I said as I gave Crypto a rough shake.

  The pudgy Gray glanced down at my charge, all four and a half feet of him. “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, bite me,” Crypto said. “Being a criminal mastermind isn’t predicated on being of average stature. Much less of portly stature like yourself.”

  The soldier huffed with offense.

  “How do you get to be a soldier carrying that much flab, anyway?” Crypto asked.

  I cut in before the little megalomaniac got carried away. Got more carried away, rather. “I was taking him to the brig.”

  The soldier’s face transformed in an instant. Like it was his birthday and we’d brought a huge cake. “I happen to be heading there now. My shift begins in fifteen minutes.”

  “I appreciate a soldier that arrives early and stays late,” I said, happy to stroke his ego a bit if it helped.

  “Are we talking about his approach to dinner or what?” Crypto said.

  I cuffed him against the head. “Quiet!”

  He flashed me an angry look. It wasn’t manufactured either.

  “Lead the way, soldier.”

  “Copy that, sir!” the Gray snapped a sloppy salute and we headed out.

  We were going somewhere now. That was good. But was it the right place?

  Did they take Martinez to the brig?

  It was where Curtis had sent me when he wanted to keep me under his thumb.

  But what if she was somewhere else?

  We couldn’t go knocking door to door asking if anyone had seen her.

  The staff sergeant wound through the corridors, taking turn after turn on auto-pilot, like a mouse that had memorized the maze.

  Several minutes later, we turned down a hallway that I finally recognized. And a minute later arrived at the security checkpoint where he worked. The same one that Martinez and I had gone through before.

  Two other soldiers jumped up when they saw me enter.

  “At ease!” I replied and they returned to their tasks.

  The pudgy Gray circled around the desk and brought out a DAP. He tapped it on and swiped through several screens. “I have just the spot for him. Cell Nine. No bed and no toilet. Plus, it’s draftier than the others. Gets freezing cold at night because the heat never gets that far back.”

  “I like the sound of that,” I replied as he held out the pad and pointed at a box for me to sign. To sign with a fingerprint.

  “It doesn’t sound good to me,” Crypto said. “In fact, it sounds downright uncivilized. I’d prefer a nice warm bed and three squares a day. And I wouldn’t turn down snacks between meals if they were offered. But let’s start with a stiff drink, if you don’t mind.”

  The sergeant glared at him. “I’m going to enjoy this.” He then turned to me as my finger hovered over the box.

  My mind raced, trying to come up with a reason not to touch the screen. Trying to come up with what to do when the print revealed I wasn’t who he thought I was.

  “You have to sign it, sir,” he said apologetically. “Rules, you know?”

  “Stop!”

  A harsh voice, made of gravel and steel.

  I turned, knowing who it was.

  Skain stood fifteen feet away, one hand resting lightly on the pistol holstered at his hip.

  CHOICES:

  1. Go on the attack. Press the advantage. It is better to act than to react.

  2. Try to talk to him. He’s my brother. Maybe it doesn’t need to turn into bloodshed.

  3. Claim that I am Skain and the real Skain is me trying to free Martinez. (Added by the group.)

  The group chose #3 and this is what happened next…

  54

  The other me grinned wickedly, wanting this to go one and only one way. He nodded toward Crypto. “Is that him?”

  Is that him?

  It wasn’t the question I expected. Not that I was expecting any kind of question. A demand was more likely. Or perhaps skipping the verbals and moving straight to violent action.

  To find out who could put a bullet into the other first.

  I kept the rifle by my side, muzzle to the floor.

  For now.

  His hand rested on the grip of the pistol holstered at his hip.

  Who would be faster?

  My weapon was free, but it was more cumbersome. That and I could already feel the synthetic adrenaline wearing away, leaving behind a heavy lethargy. A numbing disconnect.

  All the weighted factors came together with clarity. The deep intuition of knowing when a choice wouldn’t turn out well. This was one of those.

  I would not win this gun fight.

  I glanced at the Watch Sergeant and saw his confusion as he looked back and forth between us.

  Back in the corridor, he’d already accepted that I was Skain. It had become an accepted part of his reality. To now have that turned upside down had him on unsure footing.

  And that was the answer.

  I pointed at Skain. “Place this man under arrest, Sergeant!”

  The two other soldiers sitting behind the desk didn’t say a word. They clearly didn’t want to get involved, especially when a superior was there to face the repercussions of making the wrong choice.

  Skain’s brows bunched together. “What?”

  I jabbed my finger in his direction. “Do it, Sergeant! Now! He’s impersonating me and has come to break out Corporal Martinez.”

  The sergeant still looked unsure, though I saw his hand moving toward the pistol at his hip as he scrutinized Skain.

  “What are you doing?” Skain asked me, genuine confusion now contorting his face.

  “I’m stopping you. That’s what!” I looked to the sergeant and bellowed an order. “Arrest this traitor!”

  The bark of command stiffened his spine. He was a soldier and had long grown used to the chain of command and his place in it. His hand wrapped around the pistol grip as he circled around the desk toward Skain.

  “Stand down, Sergeant!” Skain shouted, his threatening tone of imperious command equaling my own.

  The sergeant stuttered to a stop. His body trembled, as if caught between two magnetic forces tugging him in opposite directions.

  A wave of weakness washed over me and my knees nearly buckled. I locked them straight to stay upright.

&nb
sp; Crypto cleared his throat while raising his bound hands. “Um, I can’t help but notice that I’m the only one here without a gun. Call me a stickler for equality, but that doesn’t seem fair.”

  “Quiet, prisoner!” I told him, playing up the charade. “Sergeant, I’ve captured and brought the infamous Crypto in to face justice.” I motioned toward Skain. “And Scout here has come to free Corporal Martinez.”

  Skain’s eyes brightened with malignant glee as he stared at Crypto. “So it is him.”

  “Scout, I’m going to need you to move your hand away from your weapon,” the Sergeant said, his pistol now drawn and pointing at Skain.

  The muscles in Skain’s jaw flickered under tight skin. “This is your last warning, Sergeant. I am Skain and I order you to stand down.”

  The sergeant’s pistol wavered in the air, the external manifestation of his internal doubt.

  Another wave of debilitating weakness overcame me. The exertion from climbing to this level and escaping the smoke had burned through the artificial energy. And yet, below the weary exhaustion thrummed a nervous tension.

  The conflict. The confusion. The numbing weight mixed with a brittle, faltering drive to keep going.

  The Watch Sergeant continued toward Skain with the gun pointing at his chest.

  I dug into my pocket and found the two remaining pills. Swallowed them before anyone noticed.

  In a flash, Skain’s pistol was drawn and aimed at the sergeant. “Lower your weapon or I will shoot you!”

  The sergeant froze, weapon still held high.

  The two soldiers behind the desk jumped up and drew their pistols on Skain.

  Skain growled with rage. The white knuckle of his curled trigger quivered.

  Crypto laughed maniacally. “Wow! This is crazy! Am I the only one that didn’t see this coming?” The cackling laughter subsided. “Would anyone mind if I scooted over there? If everyone starts blasting away at each other, I’d prefer not to be caught in the crossfire.”

  “Shut up!” I said, and meant it. Things were balanced on a knife edge and Crypto’s general instability could send it tumbling down.

  “General Curtis is going to have all your heads,” Skain said. “I’ll give you three seconds to comply, Sergeant. Three.” He stared with cold hard eyes at the Watch Sergeant. “Two.” His upper lip curled into a sneer. “One.”